Chapter 194

The battle was over.

The courtyard lay in ruins walls crumbled, pillars cracked, windows shattered. The bodies of the fallen had been covered with white sheets and laid in neat rows. The wounded were being tended to by healers and volunteers. The survivors huddled together, their faces pale, their eyes hollow.

And in the center of it all, Soren held Nyra in his arms.

She was alive. She was breathing. She was looking at him with those silver eyes he had missed so desperately those beautiful, moonlight eyes that had haunted his dreams in the Moon Court.

“You’re really here,” she whispered. “You’re really alive.”

“I’m here,” he said. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“I thought—I thought I’d lost you forever.”

“You almost did. But I came back. For you. Only for you.”

He kissed her forehead soft and gentle and full of all the love he had been holding back for so long.

And then—

“Soren?”

A voice. Familiar. Disbelieving.

He turned.

Corvin was standing a few feet away, his whiskey-dark eyes wide with shock. Behind him stood Ragnar, Roderic, Marek, Maureen, and Jasper all of them staring at Soren as if they were seeing a ghost.

Which, in a way, they were.

“Soren,” Corvin repeated. “You’re—you’re alive.”

“I’m alive.”

“How?”

“The Moon Goddess. She brought me back.” Soren rose to his feet, still holding Nyra’s hand. “It’s a long story.”

“I don’t care how long it is.” Corvin crossed the distance between them in three strides and pulled Soren into a fierce embrace. “You’re alive. That’s all that matters.”

Soren stiffened for a moment he had never been one for physical affection but then he relaxed and hugged his friend back.

“Thank you,” he said quietly. “For everything. For protecting her. For never giving up.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I told you—I’m not going anywhere.”

Ragnar was next. He pulled Soren into a hug so tight it nearly cracked his ribs.

“You absolute bastard,” Ragnar growled. “You died on me. You actually died.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. Just—don’t do it again.”

“I won’t.”

Roderic clasped his forearm, his storm-gray eyes glistening. “It’s good to have you back, brother.”

“It’s good to be back.”

Marek nodded silently his version of a warm welcome. Maureen hugged him, tears streaming down her face. Jasper shook his hand, a rare smile on his usually stoic face.

And Nyra—Nyra stood apart, watching the reunion with tears in her eyes.

He’s back, she thought. He’s really back.

He is, Luna said. And he’s yours. Forever.

Forever.

The Moon Goddess stood with the King and Queen, the seer at her side.

The courtyard had been cleared the dead taken away, the wounded moved to the healing chambers. The palace was still standing, though barely. It would take weeks or months to repair the damage.

But that was a concern for another day.

“I cannot thank you enough,” the King said, bowing his head. “You saved my son. You saved the realm.”

“I saved my daughter,” the goddess corrected. “The realm was simply a beneficiary.”

“Still—we are in your debt.”

“You are not in my debt. You are family.” The goddess looked at the King and Queen, at the people who had raised her daughter, who had loved her, who had protected her when she could not. “You raised her well. You loved her well. You gave her the strength to survive what would have destroyed anyone else.”

“We did our best,” the Queen said quietly.

“Your best was enough.” The goddess paused. “I will stay for two more days. I will bless the realm repair what has been broken, heal what has been wounded. And then I will return to the Moon Court.”

“And Nyra?” the King asked. “What of her?”

“She will stay here. With you. With him.” The goddess smiled. “She has chosen her path. And I will not stand in her way.”

Later that day, Nyra went to see her mother.

The Moon Goddess was in the gardens the only part of the palace that had escaped the destruction. She was sitting on a stone bench, her silver hair flowing around her, her eyes fixed on the horizon.

“Mother,” Nyra said.

The goddess turned. “Daughter.”

They looked at each other for a long moment. Then Nyra crossed the distance between them and sat beside her mother.

“I need to talk to you,” Nyra said. “About the future.”

“I know.”

“I want to stay here. On earth. With Soren. With my friends. With my people.”

“I know.”

“I don’t want to go back to the Moon Court. Not permanently.” Nyra paused. “I know you want me there. I know you’ve always wanted me there. But this is my home now. This is where I belong.”

The goddess was silent for a long moment. Then she spoke.

“I have always wanted you to be happy, Nyra. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. But I also wanted you to be safe. To be protected. To be loved.” She paused. “And I’ve come to realize that you can be all of those things here. On earth. With him.”

Nyra’s heart leaped. “So you’ll let me stay?”

“I will let you stay. But on one condition.”

“What condition?”

“You must promise to return to the Moon Court every year. Once a year, for one week, you will come home. You will visit me. You will let me see my daughter.” The goddess’s eyes glistened. “I cannot bear to lose you completely.”

Nyra stared at her. The tears were falling, hot and silent.

“I promise,” she whispered. “I promise I’ll come back. Every year. For as long as I live.”

The goddess pulled her into an embrace tight and fierce and full of all the love she had never been able to express.

“I love you, my daughter,” she said. “More than anything in this world or any other.”

“I love you too, Mother.”

The Moon Goddess stayed for two more days.

During those days, she blessed the realm. She healed the wounded, repaired the broken, restored what had been destroyed. She walked through the palace city, touching buildings and homes, and they gleamed like new. She blessed the fields, and the crops grew taller and greener. She blessed the people, and they felt lighter, happier, more alive.

Everyone came to see her. From far and wide, they traveled peasants and nobles, soldiers and scholars, old and young. They came to tap into her blessings, to feel her power, to be near her light.

And through it all, the goddess smiled.

On the third day, she gathered the royal family in the courtyard.

“I must return to the Moon Court now,” she said. “My duties call me home. But I leave my daughter in your care in the care of people who have loved her, who have protected her, who have given her the life I could not.”

She looked at the King. “You are a good father. You have raised a strong, brave, wonderful woman.”

She looked at the Queen. “You are a good mother. You have given her the love and support she needed to become who she is.”

She looked at Freya. “You are a good sister. You have been her friend, her confidante, her ally. And you will continue to be all of those things.”

She looked at Soren. “You are a good man. You love her more than life itself. You have sacrificed everything for her. And I know, I know you will spend the rest of your life making her happy.”

She looked at Nyra. “And you, my daughter. You are everything I ever hoped you would be. And so much more.”

She stepped back and raised her hands.

“I bless you all,” she said. “May the light of the moon guide you always. May the stars watch over you. May love be your compass and hope be your anchor.”

The light flared bright and beautiful and divine. And when it faded, the Moon Goddess was gone.

But before she disappeared, her voice echoed one final time.

“The next time I come, it will be for your wedding, my daughter. And I expect it to be magnificent.”

Everyone laughed. Nyra blushed. Soren smiled.

And then she was gone.

Later that evening, Soren found Corvin on the balcony of his room.

The Alchemist was standing alone, looking out at the city at the lights that had come back on, at the people who were celebrating, at the life that was returning to the streets.

“You’re thinking about her,” Soren said.

Corvin didn’t turn around. “Always.”

“I know.” Soren walked to the railing and stood beside him. “I know what she means to you. I know how you feel about her.”

“Do you?”

“Yes. I’ve always known.” Soren paused. “And I want to thank you.”

Corvin turned. “Thank me?”

“For everything. For protecting her when I couldn’t. For loving her when I was gone. For being the person she needed you to be.” Soren met his eyes. “I couldn’t have done this without you. She couldn’t have survived without you.”

Corvin was silent for a long moment. Then he nodded.

“I didn’t do it for you.”

“I know. You did it for her. That’s what makes it matter.”

They stood together in silence, watching the city below. And for the first time in months, there was no tension between them. No rivalry. No jealousy.

Just understanding.

Just friendship.

Nyra found the Queen in her chambers.

Seraphina was sitting by the window, looking out at the garden. She looked tired, the past few days had been exhausting for everyone but there was peace in her eyes.

“Your Majesty,” Nyra said.

“Nyra.” The Queen smiled. “Please, call me Seraphina. You’re family now.”

Nyra crossed the room and sat beside her. “I wanted to thank you. For everything. For taking me in. For protecting me. For treating me like a daughter.”

“You are a daughter. Not by blood, perhaps, but by love.” Seraphina took her hand. “You are the daughter I always wished for. And I am proud of you.”

“You are?”

“I am. More than you know.” Seraphina paused. “I know what you went through. I know what you sacrificed. I know how much you suffered. And I know—I know you came through it stronger. Better. More yourself than ever before.”

Nyra’s eyes glistened. “I don’t feel stronger. I feel broken.”

“Broken things can be mended. Wounded hearts can be healed. And you—you have the strength of the moon in your veins. You have the love of a mate who would die for you. You have friends who would follow you to the ends of the earth.” Seraphina smiled. “You are not broken, Nyra. You are healing. And you are loved.”

Nyra hugged her tight and fierce and full of all the gratitude she couldn’t express.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “For everything.”

“You don’t have to thank me. That’s what mothers do.”

That night, Nyra and Soren sat together in the garden.

The moon was full, bright and beautiful, casting silver light across the flowers and the trees. The air was warm and still. The world was at peace.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” Nyra said. “I can’t believe you’re really here.”

“I can’t believe I’m really here either.” Soren looked at her the woman he had loved since the moment he first saw her. “When I was in the Moon Court, all I could think about was you. Your face. Your voice. Your laugh. I thought I’d never see you again.”

“But you did.”

“But I did.”

They sat in silence for a long moment, looking at the moon.

“I used to think I was cursed,” Nyra said quietly. “The hidden princess. The girl who couldn’t shift. The one who was never supposed to exist. I thought the goddess had forgotten me. I thought I was alone.”

“You were never alone.”

“I know that now.” She looked at him. “I know I have you. I know I have my friends. I know I have my family. And I know—I know I’m not cursed. I’m blessed.”

“We both are.”

“Still, I never imagined my life would be like this.” She gestured at the garden, at the palace, at the moon above them. “I never imagined I would have a mother who loved me, a kingdom that needed me, a mate who would die for me.” She paused. “I never imagined I would be happy.”

“And now?”

“Now…” She smiled a real smile, the first real smile she had worn in weeks. “Now I am.”

Soren took her hand. “I love you, Nyra. More than anything in this world or any other. And I always will.”

“I love you too, Soren. Always.”

He leaned in. She leaned in.

And they kissed.

The world faded away the battle, the darkness, the pain. All that mattered was this moment. This kiss. This love.

When they finally pulled apart, the moon was still shining. The world was still at peace.

And for the first time in a very long time, Nyra felt something she had almost forgotten.

Joy.